Page 17 of Healing Love

Cam grabbed her other wrist in a tight, but painless grip. “Keep cool,” he whispered. “You need to be strong.”

She continued to stare, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Can you do that for me, Miriam?” he mouthed, not knowing who might be listening outside. Seeing her shock, he gave her wrists a little shake forcing her to blink and focus. He repeated, “Can you do that? Be strong?”

Her head jerked in a nod as her breath was still caught in her chest. She watched as his gaze roamed over her face and then watched as he leaned in.

“Breathe.”

Gulping in a gasp, she felt lightheaded and swayedmomentarily.

“Can’t take a chance letting you sit down. Someone could come in. You need to pull it together,” he ordered gently. Then as a last-ditch effort to get through her daze, he added, “For Jobe.”

She blinked and he watched her take another deep breath as her eyes cleared. She said nothing, but he knew she understood that he was sent to help her. Letting go of her wrists, he watched as she stood, solid and back in control.

Her eyes glanced at the door flap but there was no one around. Looking back down at him, her thoughts were a tangled mess.Jobe sent someone. Someone who looks and sounds as though he belongs here in this hellhole so he fits in perfectly. What do I need to do? What does he want me to?—

“Stop,” he said. “Still your mind and let me take it from here. My name is Cam. I’m a friend of your brother.”

Sucking in her lips, she gave a slight nod again, and then said, “If you’re not really ill, you won’t be able to stay here.”

He answered by reaching down to grab his dirty cargoes off the floor, digging into one of the pockets and pulling out a small pill. Breaking it in half, he swallowed it quickly before she could stop him.

Her eyes widened again in question, but he said, “It’ll just give a man my size some cramps and a little vomiting. Just enough to keep me here till you and I can figure a way out.”

Out…he’s going to help me get out.Even knowing they had a herculean task in front of them, she gifted him with a blinding smile that had him catching his breath.

Shot straight to the heart, her smile pierced him.Beautiful. Fuckin’ beautiful.Even in the middle of hell, she was offering him a piece of her—trust. And he vowed to never break that gift.

Within the hour, the nausea had set in, and Cam retched into a pan next to the bed. Thankfully, his symptoms were not very strong, and he played them up to be worse than they were.

For Miriam, his plan worked to her advantage. With her busy with Cam, Dr. Villogas had not reappeared and the last she saw, he was leaving, and Sharon was with him. Sister Genovia came into the tent to check on her and Miriam wanted to confide that the driver was actually someone sent by her brother to rescue them. But Cam had warned her to say nothing and so she kept silent.

“I’ll be to dinner soon,” she promised the nun.

Nodding, the older woman left the tent and Miriam let out a huge sigh. Turning back to Cam, she wiped his brow, a worried look on her face. “I hate that you had to do this,” she whispered.

“I need to stay here long enough to find a way to be assigned to some kind of duty here,” he replied. “I need you to tell me everything you can about what you’ve seen around this place.”

While continuing to care for him, she gave him a quick run-down on what she knew. She was able to tell him how often the guards changed, where the nursesstayed, what her schedule was like, who was here with her, and then she told of the events of the previous night when they had been taken to dinner at one of the cartel members’ homes.

Up until that fact he had been listening, pleased with all the information she had been able to relate. Hearing that detail and Sister Genovia’s opinion of the events, his blood began to boil.Fuckin’ hell.She’s now been noticed by someone that can make this even more difficult.

“Your face scares me,” she whispered, seeing his features set in granite.

His eyes sought hers as he replied, “We’re not waltzing right out of here. I need to get the lay of the land, then make a plan. My contact will be ready. But what that nun said, you’ve got the eye of someone who can make this even more difficult.”

“What do I need to do?” she asked, her face a mask of fear.

“Play it cool with me. Don’t give me any more attention than anyone else. You speak to me in English, and I’ll act like I don’t understand you. I’ll try to work a way to be able to stay here and keep an eye on you. For now, sounds like the other nurse is getting in bed with the cartel. Miriam, just sayin’, I’m not putting you at risk to save her ass if that’s how she’s playing it.”

“I think Sharon’s just trying to stay safe the only way she knows.”

“Bullshit. From what you said, the dollar signs flashed through her eyes the minute you all showed up at Guzman’s mansion.”

Sucking her lips in again, her mind in a whirl, she nodded. “We need to get Sister Genovia and Lorainne out as well. I can’t leave them behind.”

“Working on a plan, sweetheart.”

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